A GUIDE FOR KEEPERS OF POULTRY 241 
He should study it and know exactly what it requires in 
the breed or breeds he keeps. In mating most breeds 
fowls of high standard quality should be mated together, 
as a rule, but there are several exceptions. In making 
the standard, the ideal of the fancier did not coincide 
with the plans of nature and the poultry-breeder will find 
it difficult in several breeds to breed standard require- 
ments by breeding standard fowls together. For ex~ 
ample, in mating Barred Plymouth Rocks the best 
breeders find it necessary to make two distinct matings: 
one to produce cockerels and the other to produce pullets. 
The tendency of this variety is to produce cockerels much 
lighter in color than the pullets, yet the standard re- 
quires that the birds “shall match in the show pen.” -This 
peculiarity in this variety has been explained by Prof. 
W > J. Spillman, of the Department of Agriculture, he 
having discovered that the male of this breed transmits 
barring to both male and female of his descendants, while 
the female transmits barring only to her male descend- 
ants. This peculiarity naturally causes the males to be 
lighter in color than the females. 
In order to get exhibition birds the breeder must prac- 
tice double mating. To get good cockerels he uses a male 
of standard color and a female much darker than would 
pass as a prize-winner in the show room. The male 
should be perfectly barred to the skin, his color being 
bright and “snappy,” so as to transmit this distinct bar- 
ring to his male progeny. The female should be several 
shades darker and the barring should be to the skin, For 
pullets of good color an opposite mating must be made. 
Select a male very light in color, yet distinctly barred to 
the skin. For this purpose the male should be so light 
that he would not be considered in the show room. The 
